Kwik Save to close further stores

The chain is closing another 22 of its stores across the UK

Supermarket chain Kwik Save has closed another six stores in Yorkshire as it tries to make huge cutbacks.

Stores in Dewsbury, Wakefield and Leeds in West Yorkshire, Selby in North Yorkshire and two stores in Hull were among the 22 which closed on Thursday.

The firm closed 79 stores in the UK last month, but on Tuesday it said it was reopening 20 of them after talks with financial backers.

Union Usdaw said it would be seeking urgent talks with the company.

STORES CLOSING Selby, North Yorkshire Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury Horbury Road, Wakefield Crossflats, Leeds Boothferry Park, Hull Prospect Street, Hull

Joanne McGuiness, from Usdaw, said: "Kwik Save have told us that they intend to close another 22 of their stores, bringing the total closures to 81, which is another devastating and deeply distressing blow to our members who have performed miracles keeping the stores open.

"Staff arrived at the stores this morning to be told they were being made redundant and that the stores will close today.

"We will again make it clear to Kwik Save that this is not the way to treat hard working staff who have shown great loyalty to the company in very difficult circumstances."

Kwik Save is due to reopen 20 of its closed stores next week. They include those in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, and the Harehills area of Leeds.

Staff at those stores have been asked to volunteer to take their old jobs back.

Kwik Save has said the decision to close stores was a "difficult" one, but it had been forced to announce the cutbacks "to secure the future of the business".